Joey Crawford has a brain full of memories from his 39-year career as an NBA referee  not all of them the kind that give you a warm feeling in the ol breadbasket.

In a recent sit-down with ESPNs Jackie MacMullan, Crawford admitted he was a hot-head on the court. His quick trigger earned him a suspension and $25,000 fine for ejecting Tim Duncan from a 2007 game. Duncans crime? He was laughing on the bench.

The episode led Crawford to begin seeing a sports psychologist. It really shook me, he told MacMullan. Thats when I realized, I gotta do something about this.”

At least there was some redemption to be had after that altercation. Crawford couldnt say the same for an ugly incident he experienced at a Warriors game.

Once I was spit on. That was the worst, said Crawford, who retired in 2014 having worked 2,561 NBA games, second only to Dick Bavetta. It was in Golden State, in the mid-90s. I was working with Billy Spooner, and he made a big call in the last minute. I dont remember the specifics. I just remember as we were walking out, a guy spit at me. He hit me right on the side of my face. If I could have gotten to him, I would have killed him. The cops were escorting us out of the arena, so they kept me from having that chance.

Because I have that kind of time (and an idiosyncratic curiosity) I embarked on a little fact-finding mission. I discovered that the game Crawford referenced was played Jan. 10, 1995. The Warriors lost by 10 to Seattle in overtime. Spooner called a loose ball foul on the Warriors Victor Alexander late in regulation.

We had the win, and a bad call kept us from getting it, then-Warriors coach Don Nelson said. It was an awful call. Im sure hell be embarrassed when he watches (the replay), because he is a pretty good referee.

The account of the game included the kerfuffle with a couple disgruntled fans:

One fan went after Spooner after the game and was taken away in handcuffs by security guards, who also had to break up an altercation between a fan and referee Joey Crawford.

Obviously there is no excuse for that kind of spectator conduct. But here is some context that might explain the toxic milieu in and around the Warriors at that point:

In 1993-94 the Warriors, energized by rookie Chris Webber, won 50 games and went to the playoffs. The feel-good evaporated in a hurry the following fall when Webber forced a trade. The overtime loss to Seattle dropped the Warriors record to 10-20. Fifteen games later Nelson resigned.

Crawford? He refereed until knee surgery sidelined him in late 2014. He clearly hasnt forgotten that night in Oakland 23 years ago, nor the mob mentality at games.

Ive been retired a while, but Im still stunned by the insanity of (how people treat officials), Crawford said. Im involved with womens AAU basketball in Philadelphia these days, and we go to tournaments, and we see these crazy parents. Everyone is acting out of control over a game between 10-year-olds. We tell our parents, Dont holler at referees, but clearly not everyone else is getting the message.

This might not lighten Crawfords heart, but Im reminded of something Bill King, the Warriors brilliant broadcaster, said one night during a riotous scene in which fans were throwing debris onto the court. (This was at a time when NBA games were staffed by two-man referee crews.)

Theres no call for throwing things on the court, King said. Besides, your odds of hitting a referee is 5-to-1.